What about the Children Of Diabetics

What are the risks of our children, and can this risk (if there is one) be avoided just by diet. Or does there need to be more. And how do you know if they are a type 1, are they born with it? What are the signs to look for in all children.

8 replies

When I was first diagnosed (MANY moons ago), they said that diabetes "skipped a generation". That has since changed. Although diabetes is hereditary in nature, it doesn't always affect each generation… and dietary control doesn't always avert the problem. It's something your children should always watch out for, but not to the point of being "scared" to live a normal life. Because you know the symptoms, you can help "keep an eye out" for them. Make sure when they get check-ups that their doctor knows a parent is diabetic, so the doctor can watch out for it, too.

Glad to help. Just for your information… Recent studies have determined that diabetes is linked to the immune system. What happens is the immune system of a diabetic "mistakenly looks" at the insulin producing cells (beta cells) as a problem and attacks them, essentially killing them off. Researcers are now looking into ways of "tricking" the immune system into accepting the beta cells as they should normally. (That's just ONE of the many ways they're looking at treating diabetes.)

That is fantastic news; thanks. I have been trying to find some of the newest research, but thought that the budget had been cut, and they were not looking into new ways to treat or fight it. Thaks again Claudia

Thankyou so much; yeah I have joined quite a few web sites that have updated news like ADA Prevention, which I am sad to say disappointing, web md, everyday health, and specific to diabetes, I have a blog site. It is always good to put all our resources together and then it helps us to help others' with what we can.Thanks again, Claudia

If one child in a family has diabetes mellitus (DM), then there is a risk of up to one in ten that his brother or sister may be similarly affected.

But we still do not know why diabetes occurs. At least four genes are known to be important in determining sensitivity to the development of damaged islet cells in the pancreas and subsequent diabetes.

Having said that, most of the susceptibility to DM is environmentally acquired rather than inherited in our genes. For example, we know that certain viruses such as rubella, mumps and Coxsackie virus all have the ability to damage the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

You are correct in believing the onset of DM to be different in young persons from the condition acquired as we get old. Type 1 (insulin- dependent DM) usually occurs in childhood, although it may occur at any age, and insulin is always required.

For specific information relating to you and your children, I urge you to try to write down a family tree going back three generations, to showing anyone who may have had DM. Then talk with your own doctor and, possibly, a specialist endocrinologist.